Published
Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2019, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Updated November 12, 2026: IRPA ss. 44, 55 and 57, IRPR ss. 232 and 245, and CBSA’s removals page checked that day.
What they are: interviews on the enforcement track, from the first review of your status to setting your removal date.
What to know: the questions at a removal interview are asked on purpose. Your answers help CBSA decide whether you are a flight risk and whether to detain you.
Why a lawyer: a lawyer usually can’t speak for you at these interviews, so the work happens before and between them. Why a lawyer
Our immigration lawyers
Sundeep S. GrewalBarrister and Solicitor
Prabhpreet Kaur SanghaBarrister and Solicitor
Pardeep S. GrewalBarrister and SolicitorAbout our lawyers
Sundeep S. Grewal founded Lawgical Law Corporation and argues immigration cases at the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Federal Court of Canada.
Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha focuses on refugee claims, immigration appeals, inadmissibility, detention reviews and Federal Court cases, and has presented at Continuing Legal Education seminars and the National Immigration Conference.
Pardeep S. Grewal is an immigration and estates lawyer known for clear communication and practical strategy.
A call-in letter from the Canada Border Services Agency can mean several different things. CBSA uses interviews at each stage of the enforcement process: to review a possible breach of the Act, to invite you to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment, to give you a decision, to set your removal date, and to impose reporting conditions. This guide covers those enforcement and removal interviews. It is different from an admissibility or security interview about an application you have made; for those, see {L_2170}. At removal interviews, CBSA generally does not let lawyers speak on your behalf, so in most cases having a lawyer attend is not worth the cost. What matters is preparing beforehand and acting on what happens there.
Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, advises people before and after CBSA enforcement interviews, and brings deferral requests, PRRAs, stays and detention reviews; this guide is by Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha.
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The kinds of CBSA interviews
| Interview | Why you are called | What can happen |
|---|---|---|
| Minister’s delegate review | CBSA believes you breached the Act, for example you were out of status or failed to declare information on an application | CBSA may hold your passport, write a section 44 report and, in some cases, issue a removal order |
| PRRA invitation | You have an enforceable removal order and may be eligible for a PRRA | You are given the PRRA application and deadline; the removal is stayed while it is decided (IRPR s. 232) |
| PRRA decision | Your PRRA has been decided | The decision may be given to you in person or orally; you may be given a removal date |
| Removal interview | Your removal order is enforceable | A removal date is set, and you are told to confirm your departure |
| Reporting conditions | Usually at the earliest stage possible | Conditions such as reporting in person or electronically a set number of times a week |
Section 44 reports are explained in a section 44 letter for permanent residents and a section 44 report on a work or study permit.
At the removal interview
Sometimes the removal date is given at the PRRA decision interview, sometimes at a later interview. You will be asked to confirm your departure by a certain date, usually with a ticket you buy yourself; if you can’t or won’t pay, CBSA buys one. CBSA’s own page says people subject to removal orders must pay their own travel costs, must surrender their travel documents, and must present themselves as directed. CBSA will typically ask:
- Will you leave Canada?
- What arrangements have you made for your departure?
- If you made a refugee claim or a PRRA before, are you afraid to return home?
These questions are asked for a reason. They help CBSA decide whether there is a reasonable basis to consider you a flight risk, meaning unlikely to appear for removal, which is a ground for detention (IRPA s. 55). The factors CBSA weighs include your past compliance with appearances and conditions (IRPR s. 245). In our experience, telling the officer you are scared to return, that you fear for your life in your home country, or threatening self-harm can be enough for CBSA to hold you in immigration detention until removal.
Fear of return is a matter for the PRRA or other proper process, raised in advance with evidence. If you are detained, the Immigration Division must review the detention within 48 hours, then within 7 days, then at least every 30 days (IRPA s. 57), and you may not be released before removal.
How to prepare
- Bring your passport, the call-in letter and any proof of pending applications.
- Know what applications or requests are pending, and have copies.
- Get advice beforehand on whether a deferral request, PRRA or stay should be filed, and when.
- Answer honestly. Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep.
- Write down everything you were told and given, including any removal date.
Why the work happens before the interview
One lawyer, one file, every step:
- explaining what this particular interview is for, before you go;
- preparing the applications or requests that should be filed before or after it;
- acting quickly on a removal date: deferral request, PRRA, Federal Court stay;
- representing you at detention reviews if you are detained.
At removal interviews CBSA generally won’t let a lawyer speak for you, so paying for a lawyer to sit in usually isn’t worth it. The value is in preparing you and acting on the outcome.
Immigration lawyers are members of a provincial law society (in our case, the Law Society of British Columbia), and only a lawyer can bring a motion to stay a removal in the Federal Court. An immigration consultant cannot file or argue it there.
If you are detained at or after an interview, read about detention after a removal interview, or contact our immigration detention review lawyers right away.
Mistakes I have seen
- Going to a removal interview without knowing what it is for.
- Telling the officer you won’t leave or are afraid to go without having raised that fear through the proper process.
- Not bringing documents CBSA asked for.
- Ignoring reporting conditions, which damages any later request.
Frequently asked questions
Can my lawyer come to the CBSA interview?
For removal interviews, CBSA generally doesn’t let lawyers speak on your behalf, so it is usually not worth it. Admissibility and security interviews are different; see the guide linked above.
Will I be detained at the interview?
Most people are not. Detention is possible if CBSA believes you are unlikely to appear for removal, are a danger to the public, or your identity is not established.
Do I have to buy my own ticket?
CBSA expects people to pay for their own departure. If you can’t, CBSA arranges it.
What should I do right now?
Read your call-in letter to see which interview it is, gather your passport and documents, and get advice before the date so any deferral, PRRA or stay is ready to file.
Book a consultation with our immigration lawyers in Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver, or online from anywhere.
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Sources (official)
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 44
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 55
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, ss. 57–58
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s. 232
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, ss. 245–248
- CBSA: Enforcing removals from Canada (modified October 5, 2026)
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.